Recently, international sensation Rihanna posted home-made pornographic images of herself on Instagram. Never shy about going topless, or bottomless for that matter, Rihanna has successfully redefined what is main-stream pop-culture and what is porn. The difference? In the 1960’s, Rihanna’s actions would have been perceived as desperate, for example: when Marilyn Monroe, trying to revive her sagging star status, was willing to go partially naked in her last unfinished film or when Hayley Mills attempted to disastrously shake-off her good-girl image by taking off her clothes. Either way, once established performers revealed all – it usually meant something was wrong: a career in decline or a last risky bid for attention. Yet, at the same time, newer modish actresses, mainly from Europe, began to break through the once concrete production codes and successfully have their movies, featuring partial or full nakedness, released in the US as “art films.” Nakedness, taking some of its philosophy from the growing hippie-movement, was beginning to be viewed as revolutionary, enlightened, and creative. Then, in the 1980s, these two historical strains effectively met in the figure of Madonna: who rose out of the bohemian-chic social milieu of New York City. Madonna openly emulated the style and persona of Marilyn Monroe, but combined it with post-feminist era assertiveness. Later, she became the first porn-mega-star by inexplicably surviving a potentially career ending sex-scandal when raunchy pictures of herself were published in “Penthouse;” something that had just a year earlier brought down Miss America Vanessa Williams. But, for Madonna, it only made her star rise even higher.
Today, one of Madonna’s inheritors, with the help of the Internet, has taken her celebrity to the ends of the world. Last year, Rihanna became the first pop-star to reach 10 million subscribers on Youtube; in addition, she is the first performer to reach 4 billion views on Youtube; and her “Pour it Up” video received 6 million views in 2 days; a video which one critic described as “99% porn and 1% music,” and another commenting: “This should be on Pornhub not Youtube.” Only, this is exactly the state of affairs our civilization currently finds itself: where what was once considered soft-core has permeated throughout the culture and has been remarketed as the main-stream. Therefore, the status-quo has completely changed: what was previously relegated to the skin-magazines and the X-rated theaters is now openly displayed for general public consumption. And, here, Madonna serves as the ultimate metaphor: for she redetermined what constituted public and private clothing and behavior; i.e. dressing in lingerie and lacy underwear as conventional outerwear. Conversely, anyone who is fresh to the scene will always be compared to what came before: Madonna seized this phenomenon head-on when she reenacted Marilyn Monroe’s famous sequence from “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” in her own music video for “Material Girl.” In a moment, she smashed the innocence of the past and replaced it with something entirely crass and calculated. As a result, Rihanna and others have de-eroticized sexuality. They are always naked, but never exciting. Like porn, they overwhelm the viewer with constant graphic close-ups and nauseatingly explicit peep-show theatrics. It momentary captures the attention, but leaves everyone unsatisfied and wanting more.